Mary Lou Williams' "Zodiac Suite" was originally written for piano trio in 1945. Later that year, a version for trio, jazz soloists and chamber orchestra was premiered at New York's Town Hall. While the trio version of "Zodiac" has been recorded on serveral occasions, two new CDs featuring the original...

Ann Hampton Callaway, Nicky Schrire and Nicole Zuraitis all have a way with the pen. In addition to their other roles, they are all established composers, In this month's Vocal CD Reviews, Thomas Cunniffe examines the latest releases from these very talented ladies.

The latest news about Jazz History Online, including introductions to our latest articles and reviews, plus our cool new site makeover!

Jazz History Online’s Concert Journal continues to cover the finest jazz concerts from the Eastern US. Thomas Cunniffe is your guide to the wide variety of jazz performed from Boston to DC.

Jazz did not exist during the lifetime of French poet Charles Baudelaire, and it is doubtful that Arnold Schoenberg or Anton Webern had heard any form of jazz before writing their early vocal works. Yet the contemporary jazz composers Annie Booth and Jeff Lederer have drawn from the earlier artist's...

The appearance of an extended documentary on Wayne Shorter on a major streaming service is a cause for celebration. Dorsay Alavi's film "Zero Gravity" speads over three hours, with a distinctive tone for each of its three "portals". In his review, Thomas Cunniffe recommends the film as a whole, but...

Joyce Moreno has been praised by many musicians and critics as one of the finest Brazilian musicians working today; however, very little has been said about the elements that make her a great artist. In this special article, Thomas Cunniffe examines some of the facets of Moreno's music that have...

Recorded in 1972, Dave Hollland's "Conference of the Birds" featured six outstanding Holland originals--some left unrecorded by the maverick quartet Circle--played by three Circle alumni (Holland, Barry Altschul, and Anthony Braxton) and a new collaborator, Sam Rivers. In this special Retro Review, Dave Holland provides an elegant history of the...

Early in the book "Dangerous Rhythms: Jazz and the Underworld"  (Morrow), author T.J. English states :The history of organized crime, much like the history of jazz, is part fact and part mythology." English includes several tall tales in his text, and Thomas Cunniffe questions the veracity of the mob and...

Vocalist Carol Sloane never received sufficient recognition in her lifetime, but a wonderful new documentary "Sloane: A Jazz Singer" may rectify the situation even though Sloane is no longer here to receive it. The film is just beginning to appear in festivals, and Thomas Cunniffe, offers his appraisal.